LOS ANGELES — Deborah Sundahl, the founder of Fatale Video and co-founder of the influential lesbian magazine On Our Backs, passed away on June 13.
According to an email shared by her son, Aaron, Sundahl succumbed to a rare form of cancer, which was recently diagnosed.
Sundahl, along with business partner Nan Kinney, created explicit lesbian videos starting in 1992 under the names Blush Entertainment and Fatale Video. Breakthrough films such as "Clips" and "Suburban Dykes" featured realistic depictions of the butch/femme dynamic, which set the duo apart from other contemporaries.
"Often, the women were self-identified lesbians in real life and felt their work contributed to the acceptance of lesbian women and their sex-positive lives," noted a rep.
Under the name Fanny Fatale, Sundahl co-founded On Our Backs in 1984 with Myrna Elana. The magazine was published through 2006 and over the years featured author Susie Bright, photographer Honey Lee Cottrell and others. On Our Backs is described as having "pioneered lesbian sex-positive feminism and defined the movement in the mid-'80s through the mid-'90s by publishing explicit photos and erotica."
In 1992, Sundahl released her first educational video, “How to Female Ejaculate,” which featured descriptions and an anatomical breakdown of how female ejaculation happens, followed by a demonstration. She subsequently published several books on female ejaculation and taught the subject at in-person workshops internationally.
A GoFundMe has been set up to cover hospice, memorial and legacy costs.
